Poverty matters blog + World Bank | The Guardianhttp://www.theguardian.com/global-development/poverty-matters+business/worldbank
Indexen-gbGuardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. 2015Sun, 02 Aug 2015 19:18:23 GMT2015-08-02T19:18:23Zen-gbGuardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. 2015The Guardianhttp://assets.guim.co.uk/images/guardian-logo-rss.c45beb1bafa34b347ac333af2e6fe23f.pnghttp://www.theguardian.com
Making international trade work for the world's pooresthttp://www.theguardian.com/business/economics-blog/2015/jun/30/making-international-trade-work-for-the-worlds-poorest
<p>Much good work already is under way, but there are far more opportunities to ensure that trade helps everyone</p><p>Over the past 25 years, an astounding one billion people have lifted themselves out of extreme poverty, reducing by more than half the number of those living in such deplorable conditions.</p><p>This is great work but we can do even better. In the next 15 years, we believe that we can end extreme poverty. International trade, which has boosted economic growth and improved access to new technologies and innovations, has played a significant role in reducing extreme poverty in the past, and it can do so in the future.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/business/economics-blog/2015/jun/30/making-international-trade-work-for-the-worlds-poorest">Continue reading...</a>BusinessGlobal economyAfricaWorld newsGlobal developmentEconomicsWorld BankWTOTue, 30 Jun 2015 14:27:47 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/business/economics-blog/2015/jun/30/making-international-trade-work-for-the-worlds-poorestPhotograph: Spencer Platt/Getty ImagesA worker stacks bricks in Kabezi, Burundi, Africa. y ensuring adequate social safety nets, for instance, we could increase people’s ability to withstand external shocks and seize opportunities to improve their livesPhotograph: Spencer Platt/Getty ImagesA worker stacks bricks in Kabezi, Burundi, Africa. y ensuring adequate social safety nets, for instance, we could increase people’s ability to withstand external shocks and seize opportunities to improve their livesJim Yong Kim and Roberto Azevêdo2015-06-30T14:27:47ZThe Guardian view of new thinking on global inequality | Editorialhttp://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/oct/13/guardian-view-of-new-thinking-on-global-inequality
<p>The old Washington consensus is under mounting challenge. Reducing inequality is morally right and economically necessary</p><p>It is a moment to savour when the head of <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/business/imf">the International Monetary Fund</a> warns of a “staggering” rise in inequality. But that’s what <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/christine-lagarde">Christine Lagarde</a> did last week when she warned that the ghosts of the 19th century were coming back to haunt the 21st. Inequality? The IMF? This sort of language was never used when global economic policymaking was governed by the dictates of <a href="http://www.who.int/trade/glossary/story094/en/">the Washington consensus</a>: liberalise markets; privatise industry; reduce the power of trade unions; cut public spending. To the extent that inequality merited a mention, it was assumed that free markets would lead to faster growth, the benefits of which would trickle down to the poor.</p><p>Judging by <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/business/economics-blog/2014/oct/05/new-washington-consensus-time-fight-inequality">Ms Lagarde and the World Bank’s Jim Yong Kim</a>, the assumption might now be that the Washington consensus is dead, killed off by the deepest slump since the 1930s and a weak recovery unaccompanied by rising living standards. It is, in truth, far too early to say that. For while its shortcomings have been highlighted, the Washington consensus still has plenty of powerful supporters. And it is by no means clear that there is a new post-Washington consensus to take its place.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/oct/13/guardian-view-of-new-thinking-on-global-inequality">Continue reading...</a>International Monetary Fund (IMF)World BankWorld newsEconomicsGlobal economyBusinessGlobal developmentChristine LagardeEqualityMon, 13 Oct 2014 19:00:41 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/oct/13/guardian-view-of-new-thinking-on-global-inequalityPhotograph: Xinhua News Agency/REX/Xinhua News Agency/REX‘Judging by Ms Lagarde and the World Bank’s Jim Yong Kim, the assumption might now be that the Washington consensus is dead’ … Christine Lagarde, with Jim Yong Kim and Marek Belka, head of the National Bank of Poland. Photograph: Xinhua News Agency/REXPhotograph: Xinhua News Agency/REX/Xinhua News Agency/REX‘Judging by Ms Lagarde and the World Bank’s Jim Yong Kim, the assumption might now be that the Washington consensus is dead’ … Christine Lagarde, with Jim Yong Kim and Marek Belka, head of the National Bank of Poland. Photograph: Xinhua News Agency/REXEditorial2014-10-13T19:00:41ZDo the Brics need their own development bank?http://www.theguardian.com/business/2014/aug/14/brics-development-bank-imf-world-bank-dollar
The Brics' dissatisfaction with the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, and the role of the dollar in the global monetary system is understandable, writes Barry Eichengreen<p>For the leaders of the Brics countries (Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa), the announcement in July of their agreement to establish a &quot;New Development Bank&quot; (NDB) and a &quot;Contingent Reserve Arrangement&quot; (CRA) was a public-relations coup. The opportunity for a triumphal group photo was especially welcome for Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff, in light of her country's ignominious World Cup defeat and slack economy, and for Russia's President Vladimir Putin, given the international reaction against his government's support of the rebels in Ukraine.</p><p>The agreement was also an opportunity for the five countries to reiterate their dissatisfaction with the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, and the role of the dollar in the global monetary system. The Brics possess just 11% of the votes in the IMF, despite accounting for more than 20% of global economic activity. The US Congress refuses to ratify the agreement reached in 2010 to correct this skewed state of affairs. And the United States has displayed no willingness to renounce its anachronistic privilege of nominating the World Bank's president.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/business/2014/aug/14/brics-development-bank-imf-world-bank-dollar">Continue reading...</a>BricsBusinessEconomicsGlobal economyWorld newsWorld BankInternational Monetary Fund (IMF)DollarFederal ReserveBrazilRussiaIndiaChinaSouth AfricaGlobal developmentThu, 14 Aug 2014 15:59:57 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/business/2014/aug/14/brics-development-bank-imf-world-bank-dollarPaul Brown / Rex Features/Paul Brown / Rex FeaturesFloating lantern ceremony in Chiang Mai, Thailand. Other attempts to establish networks of swap lines and credits, such as the Chiang Mai Initiative, which was negotiated in the wake of the Asian crisis, have been bedevilled by the same problem. Photograph: Paul Brown / Rex FeaturesPaul Brown / Rex Features/Paul Brown / Rex FeaturesFloating lantern ceremony in Chiang Mai, Thailand. Other attempts to establish networks of swap lines and credits, such as the Chiang Mai Initiative, which was negotiated in the wake of the Asian crisis, have been bedevilled by the same problem. Photograph: Paul Brown / Rex FeaturesBarry Eichengreen2014-08-14T15:59:57ZThe Brics have a chance to succeed where the World Bank has failed | Jessica Evanshttp://www.theguardian.com/global-development/poverty-matters/2014/jul/29/brics-bank-world-bank-development-infrastructure
The new Brics bank is an opportunity to learn lessons and ensure every infrastructure project protects human rights<p>The emerging Brics economies – Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa – struck an agreement this month to establish a <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2014/jul/16/brics-countries-development-bank" title="">development bank with an initial capital of $100bn</a>.</p><p></p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/global-development/poverty-matters/2014/jul/29/brics-bank-world-bank-development-infrastructure">Continue reading...</a>Global developmentHuman rightsLawBricsWorld BankBusinessWorld newsTue, 29 Jul 2014 06:00:01 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/global-development/poverty-matters/2014/jul/29/brics-bank-world-bank-development-infrastructureAPThe Sardar Sarovar dam, part of the Narmada valley hydroelectric project in India. Photograph: APAPThe Sardar Sarovar dam, part of the Narmada valley hydroelectric project in India. Photograph: APJessica Evans2014-07-29T06:00:01ZHaiti's wealth of untapped mining resources must benefit the poorhttp://www.theguardian.com/global-development/poverty-matters/2014/jan/21/haiti-untapped-mining-resources-benefit-poor
More transparency and opportunities for public participation in mining deals is the best way to avoid resource curse<p>In 2012 <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/global-development/poverty-matters/2012/jul/02/haiti-mining-revenue-benefit-people" title="">I wrote about the mining situation in Haiti</a> and the vast potential for this sector. Mining companies could provide an increase in tax revenues and bring employment to the country – both of which are much needed.</p><p></p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/global-development/poverty-matters/2014/jan/21/haiti-untapped-mining-resources-benefit-poor">Continue reading...</a>TransparencyGlobal developmentHaitiAmericasMiningWorld newsGovernanceWorld BankTue, 21 Jan 2014 07:00:01 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/global-development/poverty-matters/2014/jan/21/haiti-untapped-mining-resources-benefit-poorRoberto Schmidt/AFP/Getty ImagesA man throws fertiliser on a rice field in Artibonite Valley, central Haiti. The country has a wealth of minerals of strong interest to mining firms. Photograph: AFP/GettyRoberto Schmidt/AFP/Getty ImagesA man throws fertiliser on a rice field in Artibonite valley, central Haiti. A mining boom in the country could see land torn away from subsistence farmers. Photograph: Roberto Schmidt/AFP/Getty ImagesProspery Raymond2014-01-21T07:00:01ZWorld Bank's ethics under scrutiny after Honduras loan investigationhttp://www.theguardian.com/global-development/poverty-matters/2014/jan/13/world-bank-ethics-scrutiny-honduras-loan-investigation
Private lending arm lent millions to palm oil company accused of links to assassinations and forced evictions, audit reveals<p>The verdict could not have been clearer: the World Bank's private lending arm failed to comply with its own ethical standards when it lent millions of dollars to a Honduran palm oil company accused of links to assassinations and forced evictions.</p><p>This was <a href="http://www.cao-ombudsman.org/cases/document-links/documents/DinantAuditCAORefC-I-R9-Y12-F161_ENG.pdf" title="">the damning verdict</a> by the World Bank's Office of the Compliance Adviser/ Ombudsman (CAO) on Friday. It had investigated whether a $30m (&pound;18.2m) loan by the International Finance Corporation (IFC) to Corporation Dinant, an agribusiness owned by one of Honduras's richest and most powerful men Miguel Facuss&eacute;, was made after proper environmental and social due diligence.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/global-development/poverty-matters/2014/jan/13/world-bank-ethics-scrutiny-honduras-loan-investigation">Continue reading...</a>TransparencyHondurasAmericasBankingOilIndigenous peoplesOil and gas companiesLand rightsWorld BankWorld newsBusinessMon, 13 Jan 2014 16:07:41 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/global-development/poverty-matters/2014/jan/13/world-bank-ethics-scrutiny-honduras-loan-investigationOrlando Sierra/AFP/Getty ImagesMembers of the Peasant Unified Movement of Bajo Aguán, in Tegucigalpa, carry mock coffins bearing pictures of people murdered in land clashes. Photograph: AFP/GettyOrlando Sierra/AFP/Getty ImagesMembers of the Peasant Unified Movement (MUCA) of Bajo Aguan, carry mock coffins bearing pictures of mates murdered in land conflict clashes. Photograph: Orlando Sierra/AFP/Getty ImagesNina Lakhani2014-01-13T16:07:41ZThe Philippines is devastated as much by unfair debt as typhoon Haiyan | Tim Joneshttp://www.theguardian.com/global-development/poverty-matters/2013/dec/23/philippines-devastated-unfair-debt-typhoon-haiyan
By Christmas Eve, a country struggling with foreign loans and climate change will have spent $1bn on debts in seven weeks<p>By Christmas Eve, the Philippines will have spent $1bn (&pound;0.6bn) paying foreign debts in the seven weeks since typhoon Haiyan devastated much of the country. It will have spent a total of $8.4bn on foreign debt in 2013, and faces a further $8.8bn in 2014. While a little more than <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-24899006" title="">$100m has been pledged by international donors</a> for relief work, more than 800 times that amount of money leaves the country every year to pay debts.</p><p>The people of the Philippines have been saddled with a large debt since the 1980s, when Ferdinand Marcos, the dictator who held the presidency from 1965 to 1986, was loaned large amounts by western governments and institutions such as the World Bank in order to keep him onside during the cold war. During his rule, Marcos is thought to have stolen up to $10bn of Filipino money. But after he was deposed in 1986, the lenders who were complicit in this corruption continued to demand repayment.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/global-development/poverty-matters/2013/dec/23/philippines-devastated-unfair-debt-typhoon-haiyan">Continue reading...</a>AidGlobal developmentDebt reliefSocietyWorld newsPhilippinesAsia PacificTyphoon HaiyanNatural disasters and extreme weatherClimate changeEnvironmentWorld BankEconomicsGlobal economyForeign policyMon, 23 Dec 2013 07:00:09 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/global-development/poverty-matters/2013/dec/23/philippines-devastated-unfair-debt-typhoon-haiyanEzra Acayan/Barcroft MediaThe municipality of Basey as Christmas approaches. Devastated by typhoon Haiyan, the Philippines also has huge foreign debts. Photograph: Ezra Acayan/Barcroft MediaEzra Acayan/Barcroft MediaMaricar Ucier (right), aged 54 and mother of three, stands next to a Christmas tree found by her children outside their home on December 20, 2013 in Basey, Philippines. Photograph: Ezra Acayan/Barcroft MediaTim Jones2013-12-23T07:00:09ZWorld Bank revamp: 'We're not cutting jobs out of spite,' insists president | Phil Thorntonhttp://www.theguardian.com/global-development/poverty-matters/2013/nov/08/world-bank-job-cuts-jim-yong-kim
Jim Yong Kim says World Bank overhaul will help to meet tough new anti-poverty targets and thwart threats from rivals<p>When an organisation with more than 10,000 workers spread across 120 offices worldwide decides to streamline its operations to meet tough new targets and head off threats from rivals, it is bound to cause pain.</p><p></p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/global-development/poverty-matters/2013/nov/08/world-bank-job-cuts-jim-yong-kim">Continue reading...</a>World BankJim Yong KimGlobal developmentWorld newsEconomicsGlobal economyBusinessFri, 08 Nov 2013 07:00:01 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/global-development/poverty-matters/2013/nov/08/world-bank-job-cuts-jim-yong-kimDavid Levene/GuardianWorld Bank president, Jim Yong Kim, who took the helm in 2012. He says it is vital to trim expenses at a time of austerity. Photograph: David Levene for the GuardianDavid Levene/David LevenePresident of the World Bank Jim Yong Kim recently called for a renewed focus on implementation capacity in development. Photograph: David LevenePhil Thornton2013-11-08T07:00:01ZRisk management can help poor people overcome crises and get ahead | Paige McClanahanhttp://www.theguardian.com/global-development/poverty-matters/2013/oct/09/risk-management-poor-crisis
Aid workers and policymakers should shift from being crisis fighters to proactive risk managers, says World Bank<p>Drought, pandemic, tsunami, violent crime, financial meltdown – the world is full of risks, and the poor are often most vulnerable to their effects. Instead of simply responding to crises, aid workers and policymakers should anticipate and help to guard against such rare and potentially devastating events, according to the World Bank's <a href="http://econ.worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/EXTDEC/EXTRESEARCH/EXTWDRS/EXTNWDR2013/0,,contentMDK:23330018~pagePK:8258258~piPK:8258412~theSitePK:8258025,00.html" title="">world development report 2014</a>, published this week.</p><p></p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/global-development/poverty-matters/2013/oct/09/risk-management-poor-crisis">Continue reading...</a>Global developmentAidConflict and developmentNatural disasters and extreme weatherWorld BankWed, 09 Oct 2013 16:53:12 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/global-development/poverty-matters/2013/oct/09/risk-management-poor-crisisAPResidents watch from their homes as floodwaters run down a street in Santo Domingo, capital of the Dominican Republic. Photograph: APAPResidents watch from their homes as floodwaters run down a street in the Cristo Redentor, or Christ Redeemer neighborhood in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, July 10, 2013. Photograph: APPaige McClanahan2013-10-09T16:53:12ZThe World Bank is bringing back big, bad damshttp://www.theguardian.com/environment/blog/2013/jul/16/world-bank-dams-africa
A renewed focus on mega-dams will make matters worse in Africa and benefit companies, not people<p>The big, bad dams of past decades are back in style.</p><p>In the 1950s and '60s, huge hydropower projects such as the Kariba, Akosombo and Inga dams were supposed to modernise poor African countries almost overnight. It didn't work out this way. As <a href="http://www.internationalrivers.org/node/2389" title="">the independent World Commission on Dams</a> found, such big, complex schemes cost far more but produce less energy than expected. Their primary beneficiaries are mining companies and aluminium smelters, while Africa's poor have been left high and dry.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/environment/blog/2013/jul/16/world-bank-dams-africa">Continue reading...</a>HydropowerEnvironmentEnergyRenewable energyWorld BankWorld newsDemocratic Republic of the CongoAfricaEnvironmental sustainabilityGlobal developmentTue, 16 Jul 2013 10:20:27 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/environment/blog/2013/jul/16/world-bank-dams-africaAlamyKariba dam, hydroelectric dam on the Zambezi River, Zimbabwe. Photograph: AlamyAlamyKariba Dam, hydroelectric dam on the Zambezi River, Zimbabwe. Photograph: AlamyPeter Bosshard2013-07-16T10:20:27ZIMF and World Bank are losing clout in developing countries | Mark Weisbrothttp://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/may/31/imf-world-bank-lose-influence-developing
Developing nations are organising within the IMF and World Bank to counter their neoliberal policies<p>There is a battle going on&nbsp;within and outside the World Bank right now over its flagship <a href="http://data.worldbank.org/indicator/IC.BUS.EASE.XQ" title="">Doing Business report</a> and index. This may not appear to be exactly a household issue, but the&nbsp;fight is a very significant one for a&nbsp;number of reasons.</p><p>The index ranks countries according to the&nbsp;&quot;ease of doing business&quot;, including such things as starting a business, enforcement of contracts, paying taxes and other indicators. It has been under attack for years because it has a built-in bias against many regulations that people who care about the progress of&nbsp;humanity might see as important: employment protections; necessary taxation; health, safety and environmental regulation; and of course most state-led development policies.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/may/31/imf-world-bank-lose-influence-developing">Continue reading...</a>World BankWorld newsInternational Monetary Fund (IMF)Global economyBusinessGlobal developmentTrade and developmentPrivate sectorFri, 31 May 2013 07:00:00 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/may/31/imf-world-bank-lose-influence-developingDenis Balibouse/Reuters‘Jim Yong Kim is an anomaly at the World Bank: the first president with real, positive development experience after more than six decades of bankers at the helm.’ Photograph: Denis Balibouse/ReutersDenis Balibouse/Reuters‘Jim Yong Kim is an anomaly at the World Bank: the first president with real, positive development experience after more than six decades of bankers at the helm.’ Photograph: Denis Balibouse/ReutersMark Weisbrot2013-05-31T07:00:00ZBill Gates: how GDP understates economic growthhttp://www.theguardian.com/business/economics-blog/2013/may/08/measuring-growth-gdp-africa
GDP may be an inaccurate indicator in sub-Saharan Africa, which is a concern for those who want to use statistics to help the world's poorest people<p>Even in good financial times, development aid budgets are hardly overflowing. Government leaders and donors must make hard decisions about where to focus their limited resources. How do you decide which countries should get low-cost loans or cheaper vaccines, and which can afford to fund their own development programmes?</p><p>The answer depends, in part, on how we measure growth and improvements in people's lives. Traditionally, one of the guiding factors has been per capita GDP – the value of goods and services produced by a country in a year divided by the country's population. Yet GDP may be an inaccurate indicator in the poorest countries, which is a concern not only for policymakers or people like me who read lots of World Bank reports, but also for anyone who wants to use statistics to make the case for helping the world's poorest people.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/business/economics-blog/2013/may/08/measuring-growth-gdp-africa">Continue reading...</a>BusinessEconomic growth (GDP)EconomicsAfricaWorld newsGlobal economyGlobal developmentWorld BankBill GatesDevelopment dataWed, 08 May 2013 13:47:31 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/business/economics-blog/2013/may/08/measuring-growth-gdp-africaAndrew Aitchison/ Andrew Aitchison/In Pictures/CorbisGhanaian youths learn new skills on computers. When Ghana updated its reporting a few years ago, its GDP jumped by 60%. Photograph: Andrew Aitchison/ Andrew Aitchison/In Pictures/CorbisAndrew Aitchison/ Andrew Aitchison/In Pictures/CorbisGhanaian youths learn new skills on computers. When Ghana updated its reporting a few years ago, its GDP jumped by 60%. Photograph: Andrew Aitchison/ Andrew Aitchison/In Pictures/CorbisBill Gates2013-05-08T13:47:31ZGuatemala's Chixoy dam: where development and terror intersect | Nick Deardenhttp://www.theguardian.com/global-development/poverty-matters/2012/dec/10/guatemala-chixoy-dam-development-terror
A 1982 massacre paved the way for a hydroelectric dam built with development bank funds. What lessons have been learned?<p>Thirty years ago a massacre took place in the Guatemalan highlands that left 400 people dead. Countless more were displaced, tortured, raped or left starving. And all to make way for a hydroelectric dam.</p><p></p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/global-development/poverty-matters/2012/dec/10/guatemala-chixoy-dam-development-terror">Continue reading...</a>Global developmentGuatemalaAmericasWorld newsWorld BankEconomicsGlobal economyBusinessHuman rightsMon, 10 Dec 2012 15:01:43 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/global-development/poverty-matters/2012/dec/10/guatemala-chixoy-dam-development-terrorBert Hanson/International RiversThe development bank-funded Chixoy dam was built close to Rio Negro in the Guatemalan highlands. Photograph: Bert Hanson/International RiversBert Hanson/International RiversDuring the 80s and '90s a genocidal military terror was launched and tens of thousands of mainly indigenous peoples were massacred. Caught in this war were communities that lived on the banks of the Chixoy River, where the Chixoy Dam was built. When the Maya-Achi people of Rio Negro refused to move to make way for the dam, hundreds of women and children were massacred. The affected communities have been engaged in a decade-long struggle to seek reparations for the legacy of the dam and the war. Photograph: Bert Hanson/International RiversNick Dearden2012-12-10T15:01:43ZHow best to engage communities in development projects? | Mark Tranhttp://www.theguardian.com/global-development/poverty-matters/2012/nov/20/engage-communities-development-projects
A World Bank report says state support is crucial for successful community participation. But can people not act for themselves?<p>It is often an article of faith in development circles that community participation is a prerequisite for successful projects.</p><p></p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/global-development/poverty-matters/2012/nov/20/engage-communities-development-projects">Continue reading...</a>AidGlobal developmentWorld BankCommunitiesSocietyTue, 20 Nov 2012 11:28:51 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/global-development/poverty-matters/2012/nov/20/engage-communities-development-projectsDan Chung/GuardianA co-ordinator instructs village health team members at a development project in Katine, Uganda. Photograph: Dan Chung for the GuardianDan Chung/GuardianA co-ordinator instructs village health team members at a development project in Katine, Uganda. Photograph: Dan Chung for the GuardianMark Tran2012-11-20T11:28:51ZThe latest predictions on climate change should shock us into action | Jim Yong Kimhttp://www.theguardian.com/global-development/poverty-matters/2012/nov/19/latest-predictions-climate-change-shock-action
A world four degrees warmer could be too hot to handle, but the exciting prospect of low-carbon living could stop it happening<p>The question about climate change is no longer whether it is real. The question is what the world is going to look like for our children as they grow up. I have a three-year-old son, and, when he is my age, he could be living in a world that is completely different from ours, largely because of climate change.</p><p></p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/global-development/poverty-matters/2012/nov/19/latest-predictions-climate-change-shock-action">Continue reading...</a>Environmental sustainabilityGlobal developmentClimate changeEnvironmentWorld BankEconomicsGlobal economyBusinessWorld newsMon, 19 Nov 2012 07:00:01 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/global-development/poverty-matters/2012/nov/19/latest-predictions-climate-change-shock-actionAhmad Masood/ReutersA villager walks next to a dried Amrapur branch canal near Santalpur village in the western Indian state of Gujarat. Photograph: Ahmad Masood/ReutersAhmad Masood/ReutersA villager walks next to a dried Amrapur branch canal near Santalpur village in the western Indian state of Gujarat August 5, 2012. A dried agricultural farmland is pictured on the outskirts of Sami town in the western Indian state of Gujarat Photograph: Ahmad Masood/ReutersJim Yong Kim2012-11-19T07:00:01ZWorld Bank business rankings obscure poverty and corruption, critics arguehttp://www.theguardian.com/business/economics-blog/2012/oct/26/world-bank-business-rankings-poverty-corruption
Some of the best places in the world to start and run a business have proved hugely controversial, like former Soviet satellite state Georgia and central African nation Zambia<p>The World Bank has <a href="http://www.doingbusiness.org/rankings" title="">produced its 2013 list of the best places in the world to start and run a business</a>, ranking the UK in 7th place, below the US in 3rd and Singapore, which retained the number one spot. Germany could only manage 20th place and France secured a lowly berth at number 34 out of 183 countries ranked this week.</p><p>There is a reasonable expectation that western countries will appear in the top 50 of a list that values a country that can offer speedy property registration and access to electricity. The rankings also reward countries that can boast a legal system which enforces contracts fairly and protects creditors when a company goes bust.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/business/economics-blog/2012/oct/26/world-bank-business-rankings-poverty-corruption">Continue reading...</a>World BankBusinessWorld newsEconomicsGlobal economyGeorgiaEuropeZambiaGlobal developmentFri, 26 Oct 2012 16:06:00 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/business/economics-blog/2012/oct/26/world-bank-business-rankings-poverty-corruptionVano Shlamov/AFP/Getty ImagesGeorgians walk during the annual celebration in Tbilisi. Georgia’s GDP grew by 7.1% last year and is projected to grow by 4.5% this year, yet the official unemployment rate remains at 15%. Photograph: Vano Shlamov/AFP/Getty ImagesVano Shlamov/AFP/Getty ImagesGeorgians walk during the annual celebration in Tbilisi. Georgia’s GDP grew by 7.1% last year and is projected to grow by 4.5% this year, yet the official unemployment rate remains at 15%. Photograph: Vano Shlamov/AFP/Getty ImagesPhillip Inman, economics correspondent2012-10-26T16:06:00ZFrom user fees to universal healthcare - a 30-year journey | Sarah Boseleyhttp://www.theguardian.com/society/sarah-boseley-global-health/2012/oct/01/worldbank-healthinsurance
Thirty years after he advocated user fees for healthcare in developing countries, former World Bank thinker David de Ferranti, lead author of a Lancet series urging universal healthcare, explains his change of mind<p>Last week at the UN general assembly, the Lancet medical journal, with the Rockefeller Foundation and Results for Development, officially launched its series on universal health coverage – an idea whose time appears to have come, or perhaps returned. While the political battles are still raging in the US over access to healthcare and will continue to do so at least until Barack Obama or Mitt Romney is elected, most countries are moving towards a system that allows those who need medical treatment, but cannot afford it, to get it. </p><p>There were some raised eyebrows, however, over the name of the man who led the Lancet series. It was David de Ferranti, now president of the Results for Development Institute but, in the 1980s, a staff member of the World Bank and one of the chief proponents of the introduction of user fees.</p><p>The conclusions argue that present policies need to be substantially reoriented in many countries. The conventional and still growing faith that healthcare should be totally paid for and administered by government needs to be vigorously challenged.</p><p>Within this context of reform tailored to service-specific factors, there appears to be considerable scope for having users bear a larger share of healthcare costs, preferably through a combination of fees for services and fees for coverage, rather than either alone. The most clear-cut target for greater cost recovery is non-referral curative care, which together with referral services accounts for over two-thirds of health expenditure. Fees for many preventive services should remain below marginal private cost, and in some cases should be zero or even negative (ie, there should be incentive payments). </p><p>For a long time, getting healthcare has meant first paying a fee to the provider – a practice that effectively burdens sick and needy people, a small and vulnerable segment of the population, with most of the healthcare costs. For many poor people, that has meant choosing between going without needed services or facing financial ruin. Paying out of pocket is still dominant worldwide. In India, for example, patient fees account for more than 60% of health expenditure.</p><p>Countries moving towards universal health coverage, including India, are seeking to change this situation. By spreading the costs across the whole population, everyone would pay less in times of ill-health and those in need of treatment for serious illnesses would be spared from crushingly high costs. Illness would no longer regularly bring financial catastrophe.</p><p><br />If you go back to that time, the actual point that I was making was different than just saying user fees are good. I recognise that other voices in the bank and other voices talking about the bank put it that way. But the point I was making was if there is no money to get healthcare to remote areas, to poor areas or to rural areas, then the cry for free healthcare for all means no healthcare for many. And so it wasn't a sense that user fees are good in their own right but with so few resources available, one needs to look to – that was the argument being made then – those who can pay, so that those who cannot pay would be more able to get services. That's the argument that was being made.</p><p>Since then – I guess it is now 30 years – economic growth rates, higher incomes, all the forces that have led to this florescence of interest and action by countries towards universal healthcare [have] shown that more resources were available and more that could be applied to health – so that older argument no longer applies. The world has completely changed. Thirty years. Three decades. That's a long time. Things change and arguments should change. And in the presence of more resources and the ability not just financially but administratively of countries to manage these programmes, which was again not there 30 years ago, it just now makes eminent sense and I have been outspoken in this – to move towards universal health coverage systems.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/society/sarah-boseley-global-health/2012/oct/01/worldbank-healthinsurance">Continue reading...</a>World BankHealth insuranceHealth policyGlobal developmentMon, 01 Oct 2012 18:11:00 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/society/sarah-boseley-global-health/2012/oct/01/worldbank-healthinsuranceHannah Maule-ffinchA nurse at Butabika hospital, Uganda. A series of reports from the Lancet are highlighting the need for universal health coverage. Photograph: Hannah Maule-ffinchSarah Boseley2012-10-01T18:11:00ZWorld aid data: every country ranked for transparencyhttp://www.theguardian.com/global-development/datablog/2012/oct/01/development-data-aid
How transparent is world aid? A new ranking puts the UK's DFiD top - with USAID languishing far behind. See what the list says<br />• <a href="#data">Get the data</a><br />• <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/data">More data journalism and data visualisations from the Guardian</a><br /><br />• <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/news/datablog/2012/oct/01/aid-transparency-google-data-viz-competition">Enter our competition to visualise world aid data - and win $2,000</a><p>What do we really know about the way aid spreads around the world? A new index is attempting to shine a light on what has been a traditionally murky area.<br /><a href="http://www.publishwhatyoufund.org/files/2012-Aid-Transparency-Index_web-singles.pdf"><br />Publish what you fund has produced the 2012 aid transparency index</a>, which ranks every major aid donor for their openness, on a wide set of criteria. This is what that list looks like:</p><p><strong></strong></p><p>Aid is becoming more transparent, but progress is slow and uneven. This report finds that aid can be made much more transparent without great difficulty, when political commitment is translated into effective implementation. Transparent aid means information being shared openly in a timely, comprehensive, comparable and accessible way</p><p>SOURCE: <a href="http://www.publishwhatyoufund.org/index/2012-index/">PUBLISH WHAT YOU FIND</a></p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/global-development/datablog/2012/oct/01/development-data-aid">Continue reading...</a>Development dataAidGlobal developmentTransparencyFree our dataDepartment for International Development (DfID)United NationsWorld BankBusinessWorld newsUS newsChinaMon, 01 Oct 2012 16:11:00 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/global-development/datablog/2012/oct/01/development-data-aidDavid Snyder/Rex FeaturesHow much do we know about USAID or other donors?David Snyder/Rex FeaturesA USAID vegetable oil can now re-purposed as a watering can at the Govaravatonga Irrigation Scheme in the village of Nyembesi, Zimbabwe. Cleared as a Food for Assets (FFA) project in June 2011, 200 workers were paid in bulgur wheat and cooking oil provided by USAID to the PRIZE (Promoting Recovery in Zimbabwe) project. Photograph: David Snyder/Rex FeaturesSimon Rogers2012-10-01T16:11:00ZJim Yong Kim's trip to South Africa was just a PR exercise for the World Bankhttp://www.theguardian.com/global-development/poverty-matters/2012/sep/12/jim-yong-kim-world-bank-south-africa
The World Bank president promoted coal, private sector investments and outsourcing, none of which are in the interests of the people of South Africa<p>Just nine weeks into a new job that pits his critical intellect and earlier game-changing Aids treatment advocacy against the need to relegitimise a very sick multilateral institution, the most startling contradictions were laid out in front of the World Bank president, Jim Yong Kim, in South Africa. Yet during his trip, those contradictions were barely acknowledged, despite the fact that the country is screaming out for decisive leadership and moral clarity.</p><p>Last Thursday, Kim met President Jacob Zuma, finance minister Pravin Gordhan and other cabinet ministers in Pretoria, and then, down the road in Johannesburg, he praised the World Bank's local International Finance Corporation (IFC) staff, who are dedicated to private-sector investments, and <a href="http://blogs.worldbank.org/voices/a-great-day-in-south-africa-for-a-development-junkie" title="">even recorded a brief video</a> while visiting Mailtronic Direct Marketing, a successful, IFC-funded small business specialising in printing and posting.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/global-development/poverty-matters/2012/sep/12/jim-yong-kim-world-bank-south-africa">Continue reading...</a>Global developmentSouth AfricaTuberculosisAfricaJim Yong KimWorld BankJacob ZumaTransparencyWed, 12 Sep 2012 09:49:00 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/global-development/poverty-matters/2012/sep/12/jim-yong-kim-world-bank-south-africaStephane De Sakutin/AFP/Getty ImagesJim Yong Kim, left, with South Africa's finance minister, Pravin Gordhan, at a press conference in Pretoria. Photograph: Stephane De Sakutin/AFP/Getty ImagesStephane De Sakutin/AFP/Getty ImagesWorld Bank newly-appointed President Jim Yong Kim (L), flanked by South Africa's Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan, gives a press conference on September 6, 2012 in Pretoria. Jim Yong Kim who took up his functions at the beginning of July 2012, arrived on September 5 in South Africa as part of an African tour. Photograph: Stephane De Sakutin/AFP/Getty ImagesPatrick Bond2012-09-12T09:49:00ZBangladesh weighs options after World Banks pulls out of Padma bridge projecthttp://www.theguardian.com/global-development/poverty-matters/2012/jul/17/bangladesh-options-padma-bridge-world-bank
Where will Bangladesh government find money for Padma bridge after World Bank withdraws alleging corruption?<p>If the <a href="http://www.worldbank.org/en/news/2012/06/29/world-bank-statement-padma-bridge" title="">World Bank's cancellation of a $1.2bn loan to build Bangladesh's longest bridge</a> was intended to prompt some kind of anti-corruption action by Dhaka, it appears to have backfired. Prime minister Sheikh Hasina's government has gone on the offensive, calling the global lender's action &quot;disgraceful&quot; and vowing to fund the bridge on the river Padma through alternative means.</p><p></p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/global-development/poverty-matters/2012/jul/17/bangladesh-options-padma-bridge-world-bank">Continue reading...</a>Global developmentBangladeshTransparencyWorld BankGovernanceTue, 17 Jul 2012 08:00:02 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/global-development/poverty-matters/2012/jul/17/bangladesh-options-padma-bridge-world-bankJoerg Boethling/AlamyA four-mile bridge across the Padma river was aimed at linking poor areas in the south-west with Dhaka. Photograph: Joerg Boethling/AlamyJoerg Boethling/AlamyFerry ship at Ganges river which is called Padma in Bangladesh, 14 November 2007.
Photograph: Joerg Boethling/AlamySyed Zain Al-Mahmood in Dhaka2012-07-17T08:00:02Z